The Forge Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge in the town of Hardenburgh in Ulster County, New York was originally built in 1906, has a single span of only 27 feet, and sits on private property no longer carrying vehicle traffic.

In older wooden covered bridges their truss was structured using many smaller parts of wooden timbers.  The "King Post" truss is the simplest type with a simple, wooden truss forming the center, and panels are added symmetrically.  One of the more common methods used for achieving longer spans was the "Multiple Kingpost Truss. 

The "Queen Post" truss adds a horizontal top chord to achieve a longer span, but the center panel tends to be less rigid due to its lack of diagonal bracing.

Theodore Burr built a bridge spanning the Hudson River at Waterford, NY in 1804. By adding arch segments to a multiple kingpost truss, the "Burr 'Arch' Truss" was able to attain longer spans. His truss design was patented in 1817.  There were many of this type in the Pittsburgh area and they continue to be one of the most common types of covered bridges. Many later covered bridge truss types used an added arch based on the success of the "Burr Truss.

The first known covered bridge in America was designed by the Massachusetts millwright, Timothy Palmer.  It crossed the Schuylkill River at Philadelphia with a length of 550 feet interestingly enough, the bridge was not originally intended to be covered, but a suggestion from Judge Richard Peters, whose estate bordered the river at the bridge, was to handsomely roof, side, and paint the structure.  The idea was well received and so the painted and covered timber bridge became a common sight on American roads from Maine to Florida to Oregon. These bridges were constructed in the half of the 20th century for carriage and later auto use.

After the Civil War came the age of Iron and covered bridges were thought to be old-fashioned.  Gradually and sadly they were replaced, even though most were perfectly sound.  Pennsylvania, oddly enough, bucked this trend.  The iron-smelting giant felt that its wrought iron and steel beams were fine for other states' bridges, but at home, Pennsylvanians took pride in the romance and character of the timber-covered bridges and continued to build them.  At the height of the bridge-building period, 1830-1880, estimates show that Pennsylvania had the most in the country, with at least 1500, representing all of the major truss designs. Thus, today the state has the most remaining covered bridges in the US, with 212 spread throughout 37 counties.

Located at:  N42 04.756    W74 33.163     -     WGCB #32-56-02

Photographed in August of 2015.